Sole plate for glass annealing and like furnaces



Feb. 10, 1931. Y. BRANC'ART 1,791,656

I SOLE PLATE FOR GLASS ANNEALING AND LIKE FURNACES Filed Feb. 14, 195d Yvon HANG/1R7" by a A ffo rn ey Patented Feb. 10, 1931 UNITED STATES YVON amour, or aoncumnns, BELGIUM SOLE PLATE FOB GLASS A NEALINQ AND LIKE FURNACES Application filed February 14, 1930; Serial No. 428,394, and in Belgium February 14, 1929.

The present invention relates to glass annealing and similar furnaces, which are used for slowly cooling glass plates and sheets after casting. Such furnaces comprise near their inlet opening, aslab or sole made of refractory blocks, on which the glass plate coming from the casting table is slidden in- .order that it may rest and set before it is placed on the conveyor which carries it through the successive cooling zones of the furnace. At the time the glass plate is brought into thefurnace, the refractory sole is subjectedto sudden heating, which results in an expansion of the blocks composing it followed by a contraction of same when the glass plate cools and is pushed on the conveyor. As a result of these successive expansions andcontractions the sole blocks get disjointed, and it may occur that the widened joints mark themselves in reliefon the lower side of the glass plates, which are still plastic when brought into the annealing furnace.

The invention has for its object to remove this inconvenience by preventing the sole blocks from getting disjointed without counteracting their free expansion and contraction. It has also the object to avoid the bulging of the glass plates or sheets which tends to take lace durlng their-cooling on the sole. The rst object is attained by subjecting the sole blocks to an elastic compression acting from outside towards the inside of the sole, so as to keep the blocks permanently applied against each other, as well when expanding as when contracting. To this end I arrange within the sole plate metal rods extending crosswise, the projecting ends of which are provided with springs which press the blocks towards the inside of the sole.

These rods may pass through the blocks f curved inwardly in the transverse direction,

between them, along the joints.

On the other hand, to oppose the tendency of glass plates to bulge on cooling, the sole is given a slightly concave shape, so that the 1 plate, which is still plastic, takes that shape when it isfirst slidden on the sole, and, afterwards as it tends to bulge,it becomes substant'all lane. o 1 Y1 14indicates the concave part 0 the surface In the accompanying drawing, which shows by way of example constructional forms of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the sole.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on a greater scale, of a part of the same.

Fig. 4 shows in perspective a block of special shape.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the sole showing the concavity of same.

The joints of the blocks 1 forming the sole of the annealing or other like furnace are provided withchannels 2 through which pass the metal rods 3, and with channels 4 at right angles to the first ones and vertically offset relatively thereto, through which pass other metal rods 5, crossing the rods 3 at right angles. The ends of all these rods proj ect slightly beyond the sides of the sole and support metal bars 6 which are ressed against the blocks 1 by spiral springs coiled around. the rods and maintained by nuts 8 screwed on said rods.

When the blocks 1 expand, they push the bars 6 along the rods 3, 5 and compress the springs 7, which afterwards, when the blocks contract, expand again, pushing them back inwardly and maintaining them closely applied against each other at all times.

Instead of being placed in the joints between the blocks 1, the rods 3' and 5 may pass through the blocks in channels bored therethrough, as shown at 2'and 4 in Fig. 4. The block 11 illustrated in that fi re has a tongue 12 and a groove 13 adapte to engage with grooves and tongues on other similar blocks, in order to increase the-stifl'ness of the sole.

However, blocks of any shape and type may be employed. I The upper surface of the solernay be partly to counteract'the bulging of the glass plates. This arrangement is shown in Fi 5, in which situated at the entrance of the furnace, and 15 the flat part WhlCh follows said concave part and'on which the glass plate is made to slide whenit iscool'ed sufliciently to have no more tendency to bulge.

Obviously, the constructional details abovefurnaces, said sole described and illustrated on the drawing have no limitative character and they may be modified without departing'from the present invention.

I claim: I

' 1. A sole plate for glass annealing and like furnaces, said sole plate comprising :1 hi y s1 e, meta rality of blocks arranged side rods extending through said plate both longitudinally and transversely thereof, and means on the ends of said rods for exerting a resilient inward pressure on said blocks.

2. A sole plate for lass annealing and like furnaces, said sole iate comprising a plurality of refractory locks arranged side by side metal rods extending between adjacent blocks of said plate, the ends of said rods projecting outwardly beyond the sides of said plate, and

' spring means on said projecting ends for exerting an inward pressure on said blocks.

3. A sole plate for 'lass annealing and like ate comprising a' plurality of refractory blocks arranged side by side,,said blocks having grooves in their side faces, said grooves forming continuous'passages both longitudinally and transversely of sald plate, metal rods extending through said longitudinal and transverse passages, the endsof said rods bein screw-threaded and projecting beyond the sldes of said plate, nuts on the screwthreaded ends of said rods, bars bearing on the sides of said plate, and springs interposed between said nuts and said bars.

glass annealing and like a plu- 4. A sole plate for furnaces, said sole p ate comprisin rality of refractory blocks arrange side by side, a portion of said sole plate being transversely concave, metal rods extending through passages between said blocks both longitudinally and transversely of said sole, and spring means on the ends of said rods forholding said blocks in mutual contact.

YVON BRANCART.

both longitudinally and transeversely 

